DESCRIPTION (adapted from the Abstract): The aim of the proposed research project is to examine the role of women in the process of healing in colonial New England, and to publish the findings in a book to be entitled Midwives, Healers, and Neighbors: Women's Lives in Communities in Old and New England, 1650-1720. The book will provide an historical perspective on current issues in women's health care, in particular, on domestic violence and undesired pregnancy. The impetus for this project is the Principal Investigator's doctoral dissertation, "Community Case Studies of Midwives from England and New England, 1650-1720" (Cambridge University, 1994). Two questions emerged from it: (1) In addition to midwives, what other women took up a formal role as healers in colonial New England and how was their work shared with male practitioners? (2) How did healers and neighbors respond to the needs of battered wives and unwed mothers in Puritan New England? To answer the first question, the Investigator proposes to conduct a systematic review of the Essex County, Massachusetts quarterly court records (1636-1686) for references to women and men healers. She will detail the lives of women not only as healers but also as wives, mothers, and community members. To obtain this type of information, the Investigator will use a variety of archival sources, such as probate records. To answer the second question, the Essex County and other 17th century New England court records will be analyzed for cases of bastardy, infanticide, and domestic violence. Without state institutions (such as a police force), without women's shelters, and without the option for a safe abortion, battered women and unwed mothers living in Puritan society were forced to rely on direct and personal responses from community members. The Investigator expects to identify which community members were primarily responsible for providing these women with medical healing, physical protection, and supportive legal testimony.